A tough task just got that much tougher for the Michigan basketball team.
Senior forward Terrance Williams II, one of the team’s most consistent players in a disastrous season, has been ruled out for Saturday night’s game against rival Michigan State (8 p.m., Fox), according to the pregame Big Ten availability report.
On Friday, Michigan coach Juwan Howard mentioned his team was without some players during practice and though he didn’t mention anybody by name, he implied it was more than the two reserves, Youssef Khayat and Jace Howard, who were missing in the team’s 29-point loss at Illinois on Tuesday (both are again listed as questionable vs MSU).
ON THE LINE: Michigan-Michigan State game has lower stakes, but still matters for both teams
Williams has started all 25 games this year and is having the best individual season of his career. The 6-foot-7, 230 pound wing is averaging 12.4 points, and 4.3 rebounds per game in more than 33 minutes per game while shooting 39% from long range.
The Wolverines (8-17, 3-11 Big Ten) have a few options to supplement the minutes: one is to go with a smaller lineup by moving Nimari Burnett to the wing and inserting Jaelin Llewellyn at the two alongside Dug McDaniel.
The other option, and a likely result, is more minutes for some combination of Tray Jackson or Will Tschetter, who have both been used as reserves this season.
Daniel Miller is a sports fanatic who lives and breathes athletics. His coverage spans from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis for sports enthusiasts.
